Rolled food item fabricating apparatus and methods

ABSTRACT

A rolled food item is fabricated by advancing food (14) and a sheet of support material (16) between the rollers (18, 20) of a strip sheeter (12) where the food (14) fills grooves (24) of the first roller (18) to deposit the food (14) in continuous strips on the support material (16). After passing through a cooling tunnel (58), the support material (16) is also cut into strips between the strips of food (14) in a first cutting section (62). The multiplicity of strips are then cut to lengths in a second cutting section (64). Labels (68) are secured to the trailing ends of the strips and the trailing ends of the strips are pressed by a label presser (70) to adhere the labels (68) to the strips. The strips are simultaneously rolled in a roll-up section (74) including a rotatable fork (76). Specifically, after the leading ends of the strips are inserted between the legs (78, 80) of the fork (76), the fork (76) is rotated to roll the strips on the fork (76). A pressure plate (90) is moved to abut with the rolls located on the fork (76) to adhere the trailing end portions of the labels (68) to the rolls. The fork (76) is moved transversely to axially slide the rolls from the fork (76). Guide fingers (96) are insertable between the strips to insure that the strips remain in their individual lanes while being rolled on the fork (76).

BACKGROUND

The present invention generally relates to apparatus and methods forfabricating food items, particularly to apparatus and methods forfabricating rolled food items, and more particularly to apparatus andmethods for fabricating a coil of food supported on support material.

The sale of snack-type food products is a highly competitive business.In addition to the particular food components, increasingly the noveltyand play value of the product are important in the marketability of anyparticular food item. For example, fruit-based snack products such aFRUIT ROLL-UPS™ fruit products have found wide market acceptance.Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 4,882,175 recognized the enhanced marketabilityof chewing gum in the form of a rolled-up tape allowing the consumer thechance to break off the desired size of piece to chew, saving the restfor later.

While rolled food items are known, many foods such as dehydrated fruitpuree do not lend themselves to forming rolled food items where the foodis in a strip of a thinness generally requiring external support, withthe support material and the food supported thereon being rolled into acoil creating a novelty form of merchandizing for that food.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide novelapparatus and methods for the fabrication of food items, which in thepreferred form are rolled, and which in the most preferred form includea thin strip of food coiled with a strip of support material.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus and methodswhere the food is deposited as strips on the support material such thatlongitudinal cutting of the food to form the strips is not required. Inthis regard, an aim of the invention is to deposit the food as strips ona continuous sheet of support material, with the support material beingcut into strips between the strips of food supported thereon.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide apparatus and methodswhere multiple strips having widths which are minimal relative to theirlengths are simultaneously rolled into a coiled condition withoutinterconnection of the strips.

SUMMARY

Surprisingly, the above objectives can be satisfied in the field of foodfabrication by providing, in the preferred form, apparatus and methodsof food fabrication where multiple lengths of strips of support materialand food supported thereon are formed by cutting a sheet of supportmaterial between strips of food deposited on the sheet and by cuttingacross the food and support material at the desired length, with thestrips being simultaneously rolled into independent coils.

In other aspects of the present invention, apparatus and methods ofdepositing multiple strips of food on a sheet of support material areprovided where the sheet is pulled through oppositely rotating,abutting, first and second rollers, with the first roller including aplurality of spaced, parallel, circumferential lands defining grooves ordepressions into which the food fills as the sheet and food advancebetween the rollers.

In yet other aspects of the present invention, apparatus and methods ofrolling a strip of support material having food supported thereon areprovided where the leading end of the strip is extended between the legsor tines of a fork which is then rotated until the strip is wound on thelegs or tines of the fork, with the fork being axially slid relative tothe rolled strip to remove the rolled strip from the fork.

The present invention will become clearer in light of the followingdetailed description of an illustrative embodiment of this inventiondescribed in connection with the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The illustrative embodiment may best be described by reference to theaccompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic, perspective view of an apparatus forfabricating a rolled food item according to the preferred teachings ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a rear, perspective view of the roll-up section of theapparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a partial, cross-sectional view of the strip sheeter of theapparatus of FIG. 1 according to section line 3--3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows a partial, cross-sectional view of the strips of fooddeposited on a sheet of support material by the strip sheeter of theapparatus of FIG. 1.

All figures are drawn for ease of explanation of the basic teachings ofthe present invention only; the extensions of the Figure with respect tonumber, position, relationship, and dimensions of the parts to form thepreferred embodiment will be explained or will be within the skill ofthe art after the following teachings of the present invention have beenread and understood. Further, the exact dimensions and dimensionalproportions to conform to specific force, weight, strength, and similarrequirements will likewise be within the skill of the art after thefollowing teachings of the present invention have been read andunderstood.

Where used in the various figures of the drawings, the same numeralsdesignate the same or similar parts. Furthermore, when the terms"first", "second", "lower", "upper", "end", "axial", "longitudinal","width", "height", and similar terms are used herein, it should beunderstood that these terms have reference only to the structure shownin the drawings as it would appear to a person viewing the drawings andare utilized only to facilitate describing the invention.

DESCRIPTION

An apparatus utilizing the present methods for fabricating a food item,especially a dehydrated fruit puree, on a continuous strip of supportmaterial, with the food and support material being rolled to produce thefood item, according to the preferred teachings of the present inventionis shown in the drawings and generally designated 10. Apparatus 10includes a strip sheeter 12 for forming a plurality of spaced, parallel,narrow strips of food 14 of a thinness requiring external support upon acontinuous web or sheet of support material 16. In the most preferredform, food 14 is a sweetened dehyrated fruit-based material typicallyreferred to in the art as a fruit leather which can be derived fromfruit purees and in the most preferred form is of the same type asutilized in the first, solid or "hard" portion or region of the dualtextured food piece described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,098 issued Jul. 11,1989 to J. E. Langler and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,236 issued Aug. 1, 1989to J. E. Langler, each entitled Dual Textured Food Piece of EnhancedStability and each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.Support material 16 may be formed of any suitable material such assilicon parchment paper which has the necessary strength to support food14 without tearing and without bulkiness to allow rolling of food 14 andsupport material 16 into a compact food piece and which allows food 14to be easily separated therefrom for consumption.

Strip sheeter 12 generally includes first and second press rollers 18and 20. In the preferred form, roller 20 is heated by any suitablemeans, not shown, such as by steam, to a temperature corresponding tothe initial temperature of food 14 and in the preferred form in theorder of 170° F. (77° C.). The periphery of roller 18 is grooved andspecifically includes a plurality of spaced, parallel, circular,circumferential bands or lands 22 separating, forming and defining aplurality of spaced, parallel, annular depressions or grooves 24 aroundthe periphery of roller 18. The spacing between lands 22 or in otherwords the width of depressions or grooves 24 is generally equal to thedesired width of the strips of food 14 and the height of lands 22 or inother words the depth of depressions or grooves 24 is generally equal tothe desired thickness of the strips of food 14. The width of lands 22between depressions or grooves 24 is generally equal to the desiredspacing between the strips of food 14 which in the preferred form is inthe order of one-eighth inch (one-third centimeter). The bottoms 26 ofgrooves 24 are cylindrical in configuration and are relatively smooth.Roller 20 includes a cylindrical periphery 28 which is relativelysmooth. Rollers 18 and 20 are rotatably mounted in an abutting relation,with periphery 28 of roller 20 engaging and rolling upon lands 22 ofroller 18 along an abutment nip. In the most preferred form, rollers 18and 20 are generally cylindrical and of equal diameters. Rollers 18 and20 are rotated in opposite rotational directions to define an upper,mating side 32 and a lower, exit side 34. To allow cleaning, roller 20may be slideably mounted relative to roller 18 to allow separation ofroller 20 from roller 18.

Food 14 heated to a temperature to become flowable or pumpable is filledinto upper mating side 32, with a containment bin or saddle 36 beingprovided complementary to and for holding food 14 above and evenlyfeeding material to and within mating side 32. In the preferred form,bin or saddle 36 includes first and second cross bars 38 extendingaxially across and engaging rollers 18 and 20, respectively. Bin 36further includes end pieces 42 extending radially between and engagingthe peripheries of rollers 18 and 20 and between cross bars 38. In themost preferred form, cross bars 38 extend generally parallel to and endpieces 42 extend generally perpendicular to the rotational axes ofrollers 18 and 20. Food 14 is then pumped into bin 36 where it flows bygravity to rollers 18 and 20.

Support material 16 typically is supplied from a roll 44 and afterextending around the customary tension rollers 46 is threaded to extendunder cross bar 38 of saddle 36 engaging roller 18, over lands 22 andgrooves 24 of the periphery of roller 18 located within bin 36 andmating side 32, and to extend between the nip of rollers 18 and 20 intoexit side 34. Food 14 is initially located in mating side 32intermediate support material 16 and second roller 20. In exit side 34,support material 16 is pulled typically by vacuum conveyors downstreamfrom strip sheeter 12 to extend under periphery 28 of roller 20 withinexit side 34 and then extend with a small amount of tension generallytangentially therefrom.

It can then be appreciated that as food 14 and support material 16 ispulled between the abutment nip between rollers 18 and 20 by therotation of rollers 18 and 20, food 14 and support material 16 advancingbetween rollers 18 and 20 will be compressed into grooves 24 such thatfood 14 will be deposited in continuous, spaced, parallel, narrow, thinstrips upon support material 16, with the number, width and height ofthe strips of food 14 corresponding to the number, width and depth ofgrooves 24 and the spacing between the strips of food 14 correspondingto the width of bands or lands 22 between grooves 24.

As food 14 is hot and may have a tackiness to stick or adhere to roller20, a scraper 48 is provided to scrape food 14 which may adhere toroller 20. In the most preferred form, scraper 48 has a straight leadingedge which flushly engages periphery 28 of roller 20. Scraper 48 iscanted 15° to 30° from the horizontal and is arranged to engage roller20 and extend generally tangentially therefrom at a position slightlypast the lowermost point of roller 20 on the side opposite to roller 18.Scraper 48 in the preferred form is formed of hardened steel which isnot susceptible to wear from the continuous engagement with roller 20,with roller 20 also being heated which may soften other materialsresulting in wear. Scraper 48 further includes a thin anti-stick coatingsuch as Teflon®. Thus, in operation, scraper 48 mechanically scrapes anyfood 14 off roller 20 which is then pushed onto scraper 48. Because ofits non-wear characteristics, scraper 48 can be relatively thin tomaximize removal of food 14 from and cleaning of roller 20. Further, dueto its anti-stick coating, food 14 removed by scraper 48 will tend tofall by gravity when it travels upon scraper 48 and specifically doesnot tend to adhere or stick to scraper 48. If food 14 were to stick toscraper 48, food 14 would tend to bunch up and fall as the bunches grewto a size which would fall by gravity and not remain in strips onsupport material 16 as desired in the present invention.

It can be appreciated that support material 16 separates food 14 fromroller 18 and should prevent food 14 from adhering thereto. However, ifa problem should arise, such as food which could flow around the ends ofsupport material 16 or through breaks or tears in support material 16, asuitable scraper can be provided for roller 18 also.

After strip sheeter 12, the sheet of support material 16 having stripsof food 14 thereon is passed through a cooling tunnel 58. Cooling tunnel58 is provided with forced chilled air typically cooled to an airtemperature in the range of 32°-40° F. (0°-4° C.) and support material16 and strips of food 14 remain in cooling tunnel 58 a sufficient timeto cool from approximately 170° F. (77° C.) to 100° F. (38° C.). Supportmaterial 16 can be supported within cooling tunnel 58 on a stationaryplatform or on a moving platform such as a conveyor.

After cooling tunnel 58, support material 16 having strips of food 14 ispassed onto a conveyor. The strips of food 14 can then be furtherprocessed at this time at optional stations such as by embossing as willbe described further hereinafter.

While traveling along apparatus 10, after cooling tunnel 58, supportmaterial 16 and food 14 is advanced in apparatus 10 on a platform orconveyor to a first cutting section 62. Support material 16 is cut intostrips in a first cutting section 62, with the cuts being made in thespacing between strips of food 14 located thereon to form longitudinallyextending, continuous, multiple strips of support material 16 and food14 supported thereon. It should be noted that cutting occurs onlythrough support material 16 and specifically cutting food 14longitudinally does not occur as strips of food 14 were previouslyformed by strip sheeter 12. In the most preferred form, the cutting isperformed in cutting section 62 by and the apparatus of cutting section62 essentially comprises a plurality of spaced, stationary water knivesarranged parallel to each other and transverse to the direction oftravel of support material 16 moving past the knives. Water knives areadvantageous since less dust is created which could contaminate food 14,no jagged edges are formed on the strips of support material 16, andthere are no blades which require sharpening or replacement. Apparatus10 is equipped with a sensor to pick up one edge of the strip of food 14to transversely move the water knives relative to the direction oftravel of support material 16 to maintain slitting in the voids orspacing between the strips of food 14.

Continuing along apparatus 10, after first cutting section 62, thestrips of food 14 and support material 16 are passed onto a powered ordriven vacuum platen or conveyor. It can then be appreciated that thevacuum conveyor places a vacuum force on support material 16 to therebygrip support material 16. It can then be appreciated that the vacuumconveyor places the pulling or tension force on support material 16 forpulling support material 16 downstream from strip sheeter 12, forpulling support material 16 through cooling tunnel 58, first cuttingsection 62, and any other intermediate steps such as embossing. Further,it can be appreciated that due to the vacuum force applied by the vacuumconveyor, positive control of support material 16 and food 14 locatedthereon is obtained.

After first cutting section 62 and the driven vacuum conveyor, thestrips of food 14 and support material 16 are cut to lengths in a secondcutting section 64. In the most preferred form, the cutting is performedin cutting section 64 by a water knife arranged to move diagonally backand forth across the strips of food 14 and support material 16 as theymove thereby. Further in the most preferred form, in the cuttingoperation of cutting section 64, the water knife moves diagonally from afirst, upstream corner outside of the strips of food 14 and supportmaterial 16 diagonally across the strips of food 14 and support material16 to a second, downstream corner outside of the strips of food 14 andsupport material 16. The water knife then resets, moving upstreamoutside of and parallel to the strips of food 14 and support material 16to a third, upstream corner outside of the strips of food 14 and supportmaterial 16 and on the same side of the strips of food 14 and supportmaterial 16 as the second, downstream corner but on the opposite side ofand across from the strips of food 14 and support material 16 as thefirst, upstream corner. In the next cutting operation, the water knifemoves diagonally from the third, upstream corner across the strips offood 14 and support material 16 to a fourth, downstream corner outsideof the strips of food 14 and support material 16 on the same side of thestrips of food 14 and support material 16 as the first, upstream cornerbut on the opposite side of and across from the strips of food 14 andsupport material 16 as the second, downstream corner. The water knifethen again resets, moving upstream outside of and parallel to the stripsof food 14 and support material 16 back to the first, upstream cornerwhere the water knife will repeat the same movement paths. Thus, thewater knife follows a bow-tie type path as shown in the bottom plate oranvil of cutting section 64 in FIG. 1.

It can then be appreciated that due to the forward movement of strips offood 14 and support material 16 as the water knife is moving diagonally,the strips of food 14 and support material 16 are cut generallyperpendicular to the side edges of and generally straight across thestrips of food 14 and support material 16. In cutting section 64, stripsof food 14 and support material 16 are cut to a finite length which inthe preferred form is generally equal to 36 inches (1 meter), with eachstrip having a leading end and a trailing end.

It can be appreciated that water from the water knives tends to create atension force between support material 16 and the bottom plate or anvilunder the water knives and upon which support material 16 slides. Incutting section 62, the continuity of strips of food 14 and supportmaterial 16 and the pulling force by the vacuum conveyor can be reliedupon to pull the strips of food 14 and support material 16 over thebottom plate or anvil past the water knives in cutting section 62 andovercome any water tension forces placed upon support material 16.However, such continuity is greatly reduced due to the finite length ofstrips of food 14 and support material 16 after cutting by the waterknife of cutting section 64. Thus, provisions must be made to preventany tension forces between support material 16 and the bottom plate oranvil of cutting section 64 of a strength which may result in the stripsof food 14 and support material 16 to stick to and bunch up on thebottom plate or anvil. In the most preferred form, the upper surface ofthe bottom plate or anvil upon which support material 16 moves istextured or dimpled to provide multiple depressions therein to break anywater film/surface tension or any other tension between the bottom plateor anvil and support material 16. Also, in using a water knife, it isalso important that the bottom plate or anvil have a groove thatconforms to the cutting path of the water knife. The groove should benarrow in the order of 0.005 inch (0.013 centimeters). If wider such asresulting from a machine cut, for example in the order of 0.25 inch(0.64 centimeters), the strips of food 14 and support material 16 tendto catch on the groove. Also, excessive turbulence can be created in thewater catcher of the water knife if the groove is too wide which in turncan cause blow back which can undesirably float the strips of food 14and support material 16 on the bottom plate or anvil causingmisalignment. Excessive water blow back can also increase the generationof water vapor which landing upon the product can cause the product uponstorage to become sticky or even moldy.

After cutting section 64, strips of food 14 and support material 16 passonto a platform or conveyor which may be powered or driven and include avacuum. Strips of food 14 and support material 16 pass into andapparatus 10 further includes a labeler 66. In labeler 66, a label 68 isapplied to the trailing end of each strip of food 14 and supportmaterial 16. In the preferred form, label 68 includes a portion which isadhered to support material 16 and a trailing portion which extendsbeyond the trailing end of the strip of food 14 and support material 16and which has exposed adhesive on its upper surface. The function of thetrailing exposed adhesive portion is described hereinafter in connectionwith the description of the finished rolled product.

In the most preferred form, the strips of food 14 and support material16 are advanced onto a platform or conveyor under and apparatus 10includes a label presser 70. Specifically, after label 68 is applied bylabeler 66, the strips of food 14 and support material 16 pass under aseries of spaced, parallel rollers 72 which are initially elevated abovethe strips of food 14 and support material 16. As the strips of food 14and support material 16 pass under rollers 72, the rollers 72 arereciprocated downward to engage food 14 above label 68 and sandwich food14 and support material 16 between roller 72 and label 68 for insuringthat label 68 is adhered to the strip of support material 16. Afterlabels 68 have moved past rollers 72, rollers 72 are again raised toallow passage of the next strips of food 14 and support material 16where the pressing operation can again be performed.

After the application of labels 68 by labelers 66 and the pressing oflabels 68 by label presser 70, the strips of food 14 and supportmaterial 16 are simultaneously rolled in a roll-up section 74 intomultiple, independent rolls or coils. Now referring in particular toFIGS. 1 and 2, in the most preferred form, roll-up section 74 includes arotatable tuning fork 76 including first and second spaced, parallellegs or tines 78 and 80 having a length at least equal to the combinedtransverse widths of the strips of food 14 and support material 16located on the conveyor. Fork 76 is rotatable by a motor 81 about anaxis 82 located parallel to and intermediate legs 78 and 80. Fork 76 isreciprocated between a first, engaged position extending transverselyacross the conveyor and in line with the path of the strips as shown inFIG. 1 and a second, disengaged position located to one side of andperpendicular to the conveyor as shown in FIG. 2 and transversely spacedfrom the first, engaged position. In the most preferred form, fork 76 isrotatably mounted to and motor 81 is mounted to a slide 84 which isslideably mounted in stationary slide tracks 86. Slide 84 and fork 76and motor 80 mounted thereto are reciprocated in slide tracks 86 by anysuitable means such as a first, double-action pneumatic cylinder 88 asshown.

Roll-up section 74 further includes a pressure plate 90 which in thepreferred form is L-shaped having a width generally equal to the lengthof legs 78 and 80 and at least equal to the combined widths of thestrips of food 14 and support material 16 located on the conveyor.Pressure plate 90 is reciprocal between a first, inner position adjacentto fork 76 in its first, engaged position and a second, outer positionlongitudinally spaced from fork 76 in the first, engaged position offork 76. Pressure plate 90 is reciprocated by any suitable means such asa second, double-action pneumatic cylinder 92 as shown.

Roll-up section 74 also includes a guide member 94 which in thepreferred form is removable from the path of the strips of food 14 andsupport material 16. In the preferred form, guide member 94 includes aseries of tabs or fingers 96 corresponding to the number and positioningof spaces between the strips of food 14 and support material 16. Fingers96 are mounted in a spaced, parallel relation to an attachment bar 98.Bar 98 is reciprocated between upper and lower positions by any suitablemeans such as a third, double-action pneumatic cylinder 100 as shown. Inthe upper position of bar 98, fingers 96 extend through apertures 102 toextend above the upper surface of the conveyor provided to roll-upsection 74. In the lower position of bar 98, fingers 96 are at a levelbelow the upper surface of the conveyor.

In the operation of roll-up section 74, after the leading ends of thestrips of food 14 and support material 16 pass fingers 96 to prevent theleading ends from abutting with fingers 96, fingers 96 of guide member94 are raised by positioning bar 98 in its upper position. Fingers 96will be inserted in the spaces between the strips of food 14 and supportmaterial 16. Thus, fingers 96 separate the strips of food 14 and supportmaterial 16 and keep the strips of food 14 and support material 16 intheir individual lanes and prevent them from telescoping and becomingintertwined. Keeping the strips of food 14 and support material 16 intheir individual lanes is especially important where, as here, the axialwidth of the strips is minimal in comparison to their lengths and thediameter of the rolls to insure that the strips are not rolled into eachother. The leading ends of the strips of food 14 and support material 16extend towards fork 76 and between legs 78 and 80, with fork 76 locatedin its first, engaged position as shown in FIG. 1 and being stationarywith legs 78 and 80 being located in a single, generally vertical planewith one of legs 78 and 80 located below the conveying surface of thestrips and the other located above the conveying surface of the strips.At that time, fork 76 is rotated about axis 82. It can then beappreciated that strips of food 14 and support material 16 will thenroll around their leading ends on and around legs 78 and 80 of fork 76into coils as fork 76 is rotated. In the most preferred form, legs 78and 80 are spaced relative to the length of the strips of food 14 andsupport material 16 requiring approximately 15 rotations of fork 76 tocompletely roll the strips of food 14 and support material 16 on fork76. Further, step motor 81 rotates fork 76 at adjustable speeds, withthe speed on the first rotation of fork being about 800 RPM and slowingso that on about the eighth rotation, the speed of fork 76 is about 390RPM. On approximately the 10th rotation, pressure plate 90 is advancedby cylinder 92 from its second, outer position to its first, innerposition. In its first, inner position, plate 90 places pressure on therolling, rolled-up strips of food 14 and support material 16. Thus, fork76 acts as a rotating anvil and with plate 90 sandwiches the rolled-upstrips of food 14 and support material 16 therebetween to adhere theexposed adhesive on the upper surface of the trailing end portion oflabel 68 to support material 16 to thus secure strips of food 14 andsupport material 16 in a rolled or coiled condition. After fork 76 hasrotated the desired amount of times to insure that the strips of food 14and support material 16 have been completely rolled and labels 68secured, rotation of fork 76 is slowed to a complete stop. At that time,fingers 96 are retracted below the upper surface of conveyor 60 bypositioning bar 98 in its lower position by cylinder 100. Further,pressure plate 90 is moved from its first, inner position to its second,outer position by cylinder 92. Similarly, fork 76 is axially slid fromthe rolled food item by reciprocating fork 76 transversely from itsfirst, engaged position shown in FIG. 1 to its second, disengagedposition shown in FIG. 2 by cylinder 88, with the individual, rolled,strips of food 14 and support material 16 falling from fork 76 as it isretracted, with the rolls falling onto a suitable collector means orremoval conveyor, not shown. In the most preferred form, fork 76 isreciprocated through a hole 104 in stationary frame 106, with therolled, strips of food 14 and support material 16 abutting with frame106 and axially sliding from fork 76 as fork 76 is transverselyreciprocated within hole 104. After fork 76 has reciprocated to itssecond, disengaged position as shown in FIG. 2 to insure that allrolled, strips of food 14 and support material 16 have fallen therefrom,fork 76 is moved back to its first, engaging position of FIG. 1 bycylinder 88, with legs 78 and 80 located in the single, generallyvertical plane to accept the leading ends of the next strips of food 14and support material 16. It can be appreciated that motor 81 mustcontrol the precise end position(s) of legs 78 and 80 of fork 76.

In highly preferred embodiments, apparatus 10 can further include anembosser 108 which embosses figures or shapes on each strip of food 14prior to its entering roll-up section 74. In the preferred form as shownin FIG. 1, embosser 108 is located between cooling tunnel 58 and firstcutting section 62. In the preferred form, embosser 108 cuts thefigure(s) all the way through the strip of food 14 without cuttingsupport material 16 such that as the strip of food 14 is pulled fromsupport material 16 during consumption, the figure(s) remains on supportmaterial 16. It can be appreciated that embosser 108 importantlyprovides further play value to the food item inasmuch as the figures canbe played with and separately eaten from the remaining strip of food 14.Further, the figures created by embosser 108 can be rapidly andconveniently varied and changed according to market appeal. Each stripof food 14 can be embossed with the same figure(s) or each strip of food14 can be embossed with a different particular figure.

It should be recognized that a series of individual conveyors advancethe strips of food 14 and support material 16 between the sections ofapparatus 10. It can be further appreciated that the speeds of theindividual conveyors can be increased after the strips of food 14 andsupport material 16 have been cut into lengths to space out the lengthsand create gaps between the lengths of the strips of food 14 and supportmaterial 16. It should also be recognized that the operation of cuttingsection 62, labeler 66, label pressure 70, and roll-up section 74 can becontrolled according to the movement of the strips of food 14 andsupport material 16 by any suitable means such as a conventionalprogrammable logic controller.

Thus since the invention disclosed herein may be embodied in otherspecific forms without departing from the spirit or generalcharacteristics thereof, some of which forms have been indicated, theembodiments described herein are to be considered in all respectsillustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is to beindicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoingdescription, and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for depositing continuous, multiple,spaced, strips of food for support on and separable from a continuoussheet of support material comprising, in combination: a first rollerrotatable about a horizontal axis in a first direction, with the firstroller including a plurality of spaced, parallel, circumferential landsdefining depressions on the periphery of the first roller; a secondroller rotatable about a horizontal axis in a direction opposite to thefirst direction and abutting with the plurality of lands of the firstroller to define an upper, mating side and a lower, exit side; means forsupplying the sheet of support material to extend over the first roller,between the first and second rollers, and under the second roller; meansfor holding and evenly feeding the food by gravity to and within theupper, mating side of the first and second rollers; and means forproviding the food in a flowable form to the holding means and theupper, mating side of the first and second rollers intermediate thecontinuous sheet of support material and the second roller, with thefood filling the depressions of the first roller as the food and thesupport material advance vertically downward between the first andsecond rollers by the rotation of the first and second rollers to formthe continuous, multiple, spaced, strips of food on the continuous sheetof support material.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising, incombination: means for scraping the second roller at a position afterthe food and support material extend between the first and secondrollers, with the periphery of the second roller being smooth.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 2 wherein the food and the second roller are heated;and wherein the apparatus further comprises, in combination: a coolingtunnel, with the support material and the food deposited thereon passingthrough the cooling tunnel.
 4. A rolling apparatus comprising, incombination: means for feeding and assembling at least a first strip ofsupport material including food supported thereon, with the strip andfood supported thereon having a leading end and a trailing end; a forkhaving a first leg and a second leg in a spaced, parallel relation tothe first leg, with the second leg being spaced from the first leg adistance allowing the insertion of the leading end of the strip and foodsupported thereon between the first and second legs, with the feedingand assembling means moving the leading end of the strip and foodsupported thereon for insertion between the first and second legs in astationary condition; means for rotating the fork about an axis parallelto and intermediate the first and second legs with the strip and foodsupported thereon rolling into a coil around the leading end of thestrip and food supported thereon as the fork is rotated; and means foraxially moving the fork relative to the coil to remove the coil from thefork.
 5. A rolling apparatus comprising, in combination: means forfeeding and assembling at least a first strip of support materialincluding food supported thereon having a leading end and a trailing endand including a label secured to the support material adjacent thetrailing end prior to rolling of the strip and food supported thereon,with the label including a trailing portion extending beyond thetrailing end of the strip and food supported thereon including exposedadhesive; a fork having a first leg and a second leg in a spaced,parallel relation to the first leg, with the second leg being spacedfrom the first leg a distance allowing the insertion of the strip andfood supported thereon between the first and second legs; means forrotating the fork about an axis parallel to and intermediate the firstand second legs with the strip and food supported thereon rolling into acoil as the fork is rotated; means for axially moving the fork relativeto the coil to remove the coil from the fork; and means for adhering thetrailing portion of the label to the support material when the strip andfood supported thereon has been rolled into the coil.
 6. The apparatusof claim 5 wherein the adhering means comprises, in combination: apressure plate; and means for moving the pressure plate between a firstposition adjacent to the fork and a second position spaced from thefork, with the pressure plate in the first position and the forksandwiching the coil rolled on the fork to place pressure on the coil toadhere the label.
 7. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the apparatussimultaneously rolls a multiplicity of strips of support materialincluding food supported thereon into multiple, independent coils, withthe length of the first and second legs of the fork being equal to theaxial width of the multiplicity of strips.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7further comprising, in combination: means engaging the strips prior tothe strips being rolled into coils by the fork for guiding themultiplicity of strips to maintain the strips in their individual lanes.9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the guiding means comprises, incombination: an attachment bar; a series of fingers upstanding from theattachment bar, with the fingers corresponding to the number andpositioning of spaces between the strips; and means for moving theattachment bar between a first position wherein the fingers extendbetween the strips and a second position wherein the fingers do notengage the strips.
 10. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the rotatingmeans comprises, in combination: a slide slideably mounted in stationaryslide tracks; and means for rotatably mounting the fork to the slide;and wherein the axially moving means comprises means for reciprocatingthe slide in the slide tracks between a first position with the legs ofthe fork extending in line with the path of the strip and a secondposition with the legs of the fork at a position transversely spacedfrom the first position.
 11. An apparatus for fabricating a rolled fooditem, with the food item including a strip of food supported on a stripof support material, comprising, in combination: means for supplying acontinuous sheet of the support material; means for depositingcontinuous, multiple strips of food onto the continuous sheet of thesupport material; means for cutting the continuous sheet of the supportmaterial between the strips of food to form multiple, continuous stripsof the support material and food supported thereon; means for cuttingthe multiple, continuous strips of the support material and the foodinto lengths having leading ends and trailing ends; and means forsimultaneously rolling the lengths of multiple strips of the supportmaterial and the food into coils to form multiple, rolled food items;wherein the depositing means comprises a first roller rotatable about anaxis in a first direction, with the first roller including a pluralityof continuous, axially spaced, parallel, circumferential lands definingannular depressions on the periphery of the first roller to form thecontinuous strip of food supported on the strip of support material. 12.The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the depositing means furthercomprises, in combination: a second roller rotatable about an axis in adirection opposite to the first direction and abutting with theplurality of lands of the first roller to define an upper, mating sideand a lower, exit side, with the sheet of support material extendingover the first roller, between the first and second rollers, and underthe second roller; and means for providing food to the upper, matingside of the first and second rollers intermediate the continuous sheetof support material and the second roller, with the food filling thedepressions of the first roller as the food and the support materialadvance between the first and second rollers by the rotation of thefirst and second rollers.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12 furthercomprising, in combination: means for scraping the second roller at aposition after the food and support material extend between the firstand second rollers, with the periphery of the second roller beingsmooth.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the scraping means extendstangentially from the second roller at a position slightly past thelowermost point of the second roller.
 15. The apparatus of claim 13wherein the food and the second roller are heated; and wherein theapparatus further comprises, in combination: a cooling tunnel, with thesupport material and the food deposited thereon passing through thecooling tunnel.
 16. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the simultaneouslyrolling means comprises, in combination: a fork having a first leg and asecond leg in a spaced, parallel relation to the first leg, with thesecond leg being spaced from the first leg a distance allowing thesimultaneous insertion of the leading ends of the strips between thefirst and second legs; means for moving the leading ends of the stripsand food supported thereon for insertion between the first and secondlegs in a stationary condition; means for rotating the fork about anaxis parallel to and intermediate the first and second legs with thestrips rolling into coils around the leading ends of the strips as thefork is rotated; and means for axially moving the fork relative to thecoils to remove the coils from the fork.
 17. The apparatus of claim 11wherein the simultaneously rolling means comprises, in combination: afork having a first leg and a second leg in a spaced, parallel relationto the first leg, with the second leg being spaced from the first leg adistance allowing the simultaneous insertion of the strips between thefirst and second legs; means for rotating the fork about an axisparallel to and intermediate the first and second legs with the stripsrolling into coils as the fork is rotated; and means for axially movingthe fork relative to the coils to remove the coils from the fork;wherein each of the strips includes a label secured to the supportmaterial adjacent the trailing end prior to rolling of the strips andfood supported thereon, with the label including a trailing portionextending beyond the trailing end of the strip including exposedadhesive; and wherein the apparatus further comprises, in combination:means for adhering the trailing portion of the label to the supportmaterial when the strips have been rolled into the coils.
 18. Theapparatus of claim 17 wherein the adhering means comprises, incombination: a pressure plate; and means for moving the pressure platebetween a first position adjacent to the fork and a second positionspaced from the fork, with the pressure plate in the first position andthe fork sandwiching the coils rolled on the fork to place pressure onthe coils to adhere the labels.
 19. The apparatus of claim 17 furthercomprising, in combination: means engaging the strips prior to thestrips being rolled into coils by the fork for pressing the stripsadjacent to the trailing ends for adhering the labels to the supportmaterial adjacent to the trailing ends.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19wherein the pressing means comprises, in combination: a series ofparallel rollers; and means for moving the rollers between a firstposition engaging the strips and a second position spaced from thestrips.
 21. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising, incombination: means engaging the strips prior to the strips being rolledinto coils by the fork for guiding the multiplicity of strips tomaintain the strips in their individual lanes.
 22. The apparatus ofclaim 21 wherein the guiding means comprises, in combination: anattachment bar; a series of fingers upstanding from the attachment bar,with the fingers corresponding to the number and positioning of spacesbetween the strips; and means for moving the attachment bar between afirst position wherein the fingers extend between the strips and asecond position wherein the fingers do not engage the strips.
 23. Theapparatus of claim 16 wherein the rotating means comprises, incombination: a slide slideably mounted in stationary slide tracks; andmeans for rotatably mounting the fork to the slide; and wherein theaxially moving means comprises means for reciprocating the slide in theslide tracks between a first position with the legs of the forkextending in line with the path of the strip and a second position withthe legs of the fork at a position transversely spaced from the firstposition.